Categories

Loving the Unloved

I just got off the phone with a guest. I have what is kind of like a “Spidey” sense I guess, like Spiderman has. I am able to tell within about 4 seconds of a phone call how it’s going to go. I can tell if the guest will be nice or mean. And when this guy opened his mouth, my little sense alarms started going haywire. I had a feeling this was not going to be a pleasant conversation. Well, this guy was very rude and he even yelled at me because I asked him if he had stayed with us before. And to top it off, he hung up on me after he was done yelling at me.

I sat on the other end of that phone call and could feel my anger level rising. I wanted to give that guy a piece of my mind. I started wondering how someone could call wanting to plan a vacation and be so mean. I mean, if I was calling about a vacation that I wanted to take, I wouldn’t be angry and yelling at someone. I would be pumped up and excited. But that’s just me I guess. I guess it’s hard to be happy about getting away for some peace and relaxation.

Once I began to calm down however, I began to realize something. That man who just spent the last minute berating me for absolutely no reason must live a miserable life. I don’t know what he is going through that causes him to be like that, but I began to pity him. I began to realize that he can’t be happy, because I don’t know many happy people that just blow up on others.

I think God used this guy today to give me a gut check. Am I demonstrating God’s love to even people like him? It’s easy for me to look at Jesus’ command to “Love your neighbor as yourself” as “love your neighbor who doesn’t treat you badly as yourself.” It’s easy for me to love people who treat me nicely, like my dad, but it’s a completely different thing to love and care for those who treat me poorly. That is ultimate love. Look at Jesus, nailed to a cross and still loving the very people who put them there. He asked for their forgiveness. Would I have been able to do the same? That’s where the rubber meets the road.

Am I going to let my anger burn against people who hurt me or am I going to forgive and show kindness? Paul states this best in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

I want to imitate Christ, and in dong so, I will have a love for everybody, regardless of what they do. That is not to say that I won’t put up boundaries or anything, but it means that my love for the ones that hurt me will replace my feelings of anger.

I started praying today for that man who yelled at me on the phone. I prayed that he would realize that he is loved by an amazing God who will never stop loving him. I prayed that he would find peace from whatever pain or difficulty he is going through, and I prayed that God would send someone into his life to show him God’s love.